Russia's withdrawal from the 1987 European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment does not mean a refusal to comply with international obligations in this area, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said on Tuesday. She recalled that Russia had undertaken the corresponding obligations at a higher universal level: such provisions are contained in both the 1984 Convention Against Torture and the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. At the same time, Zakharova noted that a year ago, on October 30, 2025, Russia informed the Council of Europe that on November 1 of this year, Russia's condemnation of the Convention Against Torture would enter into force. "We are talking about a technical aspect - the date of the entry into force of our country's condemnation of this international treaty," explained the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Russia decided to condemn the 1987 treaty for a number of reasons. First, according to Zakharova, Russia's treaty rights were violated when the Council of Europe effectively blocked the election of a new Russian member of the European Commission for the Prevention of Torture after the previous one expired in December 2023.

Russia's withdrawal from the 1987 European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment does not mean a refusal to comply with international obligations in this area, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said on Tuesday. She recalled that Russia had undertaken the corresponding obligations at a higher universal level: such provisions are contained in both the 1984 Convention Against Torture and the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. At the same time, Zakharova noted that a year ago, on October 30, 2025, Russia informed the Council of Europe that on November 1 of this year, Russia's condemnation of the Convention Against Torture would enter into force. "We are talking about a technical aspect - the date of the entry into force of our country's condemnation of this international treaty," explained the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Russia decided to condemn the 1987 treaty for a number of reasons. First, according to Zakharova, Russia's treaty rights were violated when the Council of Europe effectively blocked the election of a new Russian member of the European Commission for the Prevention of Torture after the previous one expired in December 2023.